Professional Hopes and Goals

This course has most definitely been a thought provoking look into diversity. As I think about my future courses and year in the classroom, my hope is that I will be more sensitive and respectful of the many diverse backgrounds that may walk into my classroom. My hope is to remember that the most effective teachers are those who continue to learn, that includes continuing to learn about your students and their families. However learning about the children and families is only part of the job, it is also vital to utilize what you learn about the families as you work with the child. As I strive to learn more about my families and be more sensitive and respectful, I hope that my parent/teacher and student/teacher relationships grow even stronger.

I would like to set the goal of being an advocate in my school for equity and social justice in the early childhood field. An advocate is an advocate regardless of how small an area they advocate in. Just like our children, we learn from role models and most ( those who have the children first in mind) follow along when they see something that is right and good. My goal is to display my feelings towards treating others fairly despite the different social identities they may be a part of. This of course will ultimately be displayed through my actions, with the hope that others will recognize how beneficially it really is. Also, at the teachers meet during in service week to start the new year, my principal has asked me to share some of the knowledge I have gained from being a part of this course, as many of the concepts we have discussed in this course were also addressed in our summer reading book.  My hope is that this will be the start of advocating for equity and social justice.

Thank you all for taking the time reading my blog each week. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you during this course and learning about many of your different experiences. Good luck to each of you!

My Student from Turkey

I am a teacher at the neighborhood elementary school where I teach 3rd grade. My principal has informed me that next week I will have a new student in my class from Turkey. I am unaware of any of the customs and practices in Turkey, therefore I go home to research information that will prepare me for working with this family and developing a positive relationship. 

As I was doing my research, I pin pointed five important pieces of information that will better prepare me for meeting the child and family. 

1. When I meet the family I will give each a firm handshake. It is customary to greet the person closest to you and then move counter clockwise. Shaking hands before you leave is also occasionally practiced. 

2. If I was ever invited to the family's home, it is important to give a gift. The most common gift is pastries called baklava. It is also important to remember that if they family has children, you bring some expensive sweets or candy. 

3. I will maintain eye contact at all times during the conversation with the parents because it is a sign of sincerity. Also, I will remember that often times Turks will stand very close to you during a conversation, and to back away in this situation would be considered unfriendly. 

4. When addressing someone from Turkey, it is most common to call a man by his name followed by 'bey' and to call a women by her name followed by 'hanim.' 

5. I feel it would also be important to know that many of the primary schools in Turkey hold morning and afternoon sessions because they are so crowded. Primary school also begins at age  6 and continues for 8 uninterrupted years. At the conclusion on these 8 years the child gets a diploma and entered secondary education. Also it will be important to remember that classes in Turkey are usually of greater size (20-40 students)

Knowing this information would be a beginning level as I work towards getting to know the family. My hope is that this will help make the transition a little easier for the family and child. Considering the large change this would be for the child, I hope that this would bring comfort in which we can build a positive relationship.

The personal side of bias, prejudice, and oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression?

This experience in one I shared in my Diversity Profile, and I share it now because it was not only unbelievable then, but still is in my mind. Getting new students is a very common occurrence in our school. For the past two years I have thought of my classroom as a “revolving door” because students are always in my room for a month or so and out the next. I had about 10 students who started the year and finished the year with me. Anyways, I was called down to the office one day to meet my new student. I walked down and upon extending my hand to the parent; I remember the mother’s first words upon seeing me. “Oh no, oh no, you’re a teacher here? No, no, no this will not work for my son. You’re too nice. He needs someone who will be tough. He needs a teacher who is black.” I was absolutely floored by this comment. This statement did not hide any of her thoughts regarding a white teacher. It was a loaded statement mainly implying that because I was white I would not be tough enough for her child, and that being white meant I was nice. Even months after this occurred it still shocks me that someone would not only think this, but say it out loud.  For the record, this child was not placed in my class after all; the principal decided that nothing good would come out of that after our first interaction.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

This specific incident implied that certain personality traits are carried by people based on color. It implied that because I am white, I do not carry the ability to be a tough teacher with high expectations. Also, this incident modeled the parents view to the child. As a child looking up to his parent, it showed how the parent felt regarding white teachers; something he could begin to believe as true. Because I know how the remainder of the year was for this child, and that he was placed in the classroom of a teacher who was a few months from retirement, and never left her computer chair, I can say this situation ultimately hurt his ability to be a part of a classroom that was filled with active and engaging learning opportunities.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

The feelings I have from this incident were first shock and honestly still a little bit of that. After sharing the story with a few friends, I started to realize that this really did anger me because this teacher knew nothing about me and how I teach. She judged me by the way I looked. I work very hard to ensure that I set the expectations for my students high and I treat each of them fairly. In those mere moments getting a look at how I teach was completely overlooked, actually not even recognized.  Personally, now I think it is just sad to know that some people feel that way, and are ridiculous enough to actually verbalize it.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

Honestly, the only way this incident could have turned out better was for the parent to not think this way, or at least not verbalize it and give me the chance to teach her son. Even if the parent did have a bad experience with a teacher who was white, it would be important to remember that not everyone is the same. In my opinion this situation did more hurt than anything in the long run, because it not only led to a year in a “not so great” class, but it also displayed biased feelings to the child, something he too could start to believe is true.

Awareness of Microaggressions

This observation is one that has happened before,however it also occurred this week. During the school year, I have a hard time getting together with the friends I have from the restaurant I previously worked. When the school year finished, we immediately had a get together and of course they asked about my school year and all.  After talking about the year, one person stated, " I do not know how you teach those kids and work with those parents.  You should start working in a school that is a better fit for you."  This comment has always bothered me, but it really bothered me this week partially due to the discussion from this week. When this comment was made, it made me think about the comments , " those children and parents" and " a better fit for you"  I am a Caucasian and  work in a predominately African American school (Which in my opinion should not really be an issue). I feel the hidden message in this conversation was that teaching African American children was separate and different from teaching other groups of children. I am curious to know how people who say this find it to be "different." Are they implying it is easier, harder or what? It also made me feel that they thought it was not a good fit for me simply because of the difference in skin color.   For those of you that are curious, I responded very calmly stating I love my job and I love my children, that's all that matters. This kind of response usually lead to a change in topic which is best. Of course in my mind I did not want to respond calmly, I wanted to use very "not so nice" words, and have actually avoided her at gatherings since the incident.

 In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people?


After looking closely at the conversations with others this week, I feel the biggest effect is that it separate others from each other. Certain comments and how they are perceived can set up a wall between people. More importantly it is similar experiences that can also occur between parents and classroom teacher, co workers, and children. If such a wall develops between these groups it could impact the overall effective education we are trying to provide our children.  This is why I think it is so important to remember a simply saying that many of us teach our children- " Think before you speak!"

Perspectives of Culture and Diversity

For this assignment I selected people who were different from me in at least one way. Each other them provided perspectives  that had some similarities as well as some differences.
The first person I asked was a co-worker of mine, Barbara. She is a veteran teacher who I feel has much more experience in the field than I do. She stated that culture is identifying with a certain group of people based on their traditions, beliefs, and social standards. She felt diversity was the ability to accept differences within the groups and coexist. The next person I ask was my boyfriend who works in the civil engineering. He feels culture includes the way you are raised which is also impacted by the region in which you are raised.. Diversity is the differences between each other. Finally, Abby is a first year social psychologist, and she feels culture is what makes you who you are. It includes everything and the ways a person does something. When she thinks of diversity she pictures the school she works in because it has a very diverse population of students on different academic levels,family styles, and ethnicity which all come together for a common goal.

When I look at the different definitions I received, I immediately thought about the reading from our textbook. Derman-Sparks ( 2010) identified to be everyday and every action which goes right along with what Abby stated. I also thought about the panelists in last weeks video who identified culture as simply being complex. When I asked each person what culture was they simply got stuck, one even stated, " how can I define something so broad and in depth?"

Also, when I look at these definitions I immediately think about the omission of language as a components to culture. In last weeks video, Professor Benavides focused a great deal on how language abilities plays such a major part in our culture. I was surprise to see that no one included this within their definition of culture.

By asking others to define culture and diversity it was interesting to find how some people feel uncomfortable talking about it. Upon asking each person I was first provided a very uneasy look as though they thought there definition would not be right. I also feel like what each person has experienced in their lives impacted their definition greatly. For the veteran teacher, I feel she was most comfortable with answer the question and provided an answer that included her experiences as a teacher. For my boyfriend, he was able to pull from his experience from moving from the North to the South. This is why he included regional differences. My friend Abby, was also able to pull from her experiences as a school psychologist within a particular school.

My Family Culture

Selecting three items I would take to an unknown country was actually more challenging that I originally thought.   The first item I would take would be my Kindle. I know it sounds silly, but part of who I am involves one important component of my family culture which is my faith. I would be able to read the Bible, as well as read many other things that help make up who I am. The second thing I would take with me would be my grandmother's photo albums. These albums provide such a vivid picture into what has shaped my family culture. I would also be a reminder of where I come from regardless of the differences I would see in the other culture. The final possession I would take would be my elephant stuffed animal. This elephant has been the security blanket we have passed down in my family. It was my grandmothers, my moms and now mine.  I would like to keep up this tradition and pass it down when I have children.
   When I first thought of giving two items up, I thought well if I could put all the pictures from my grandmother's album in my Kindle than I would keep that as my top of my list, however I would be giving up the security blanket that was passed down in my family. I would have a very hard time giving up any of these possessions because it was already hard enough to get down to these three.
   Completing this exercise was extremely difficult, but useful because it helped me realize just how much in my life helps make up who I am. 

When I think of Research....

Looking back on this course I feel I have gained a wealth of knowledge regarding the steps to design a research. I was unaware of different types of research designs like qualitative, quantitative, and quasi-experimental. I truly thought there was only one type.  I have gained insights in to just how much must be taking into consideration prior to ever conducting a study, mainly the ethical issues and how to go about the study while addressing those issues. 

Some of the challenges I encountered was mainly with myself. I was so nervous about this course. Honestly, my nerves almost got the best of me and led me to taking a class off because I thought it would just be too much to handle. That challenge was met by simply taking it one step at a time, and just "toughing it out." Another challenge I faced was the way in which the test was written. Some how it was not an easy read for me at all, but I just had to read over things more then once and use outside resources to help as well.

This course has made me more aware of what all goes into the early childhood profession. Many of use read numerous studies and articles almost weekly. Actually getting the chance to step in the shoes of a researcher, I am more aware of what goes into conducting a research, and just how many different researches has helped us get to where we are today in the profession. It also helped me realize that even though I am a classroom teacher, I use many of the steps of research such as interviews ( of course I call it introduction with parents at the beginning of the year), anecdotal records, and checklists.  I currently utilize a checklist on a daily basis for some of my students struggling with certain behaviors.

Good Luck to all of you in your next course!!